It
was the coldest night of the year, thus far. Sundown had brought a hard frost
and a bitter chill wind that whipped through the stark trees offering little in
the way of protection from it. A dusting of snow covered the ground, cleared
only barely over the line of the road heading up towards the mountains.

Outlined
in white, a pair of footprints lead away from the road, heading up the small
rise towards a copse of low trees that promised the most shelter for a long way
around.

The
footprints straggled and caught up to two figures, swathed in cloaks, who
struggled against the wind, making slow headway up the slope.

A
gust of wind caught their cloaks and whipped them back, stealing scant warmth
along with it. Xena grabbed at the cloth, and shoved her smaller companion the
last few steps forward, until they passed between the outermost branches, and
entered a frosty, bitter silence. "Stay here." Xena positioned
Gabrielle against the thick trunk of an old, twisted tree, it's bulk blocking
even the threads of wind that whistled through the copse. "I' ll get some
wood for a fire."

Gabrielle
nodded; pulling her cloak around her as Xena dropped the meager bags they were
carrying near the tree and strode off, drawing her sword. "G..great."
The bard whispered, shivering so violently for a moment that she could barely
think. "What a g.great way to ssspend Solstice." A moment's pity
only, then Gabrielle sighed, and started moving around the scattering of snow,
clearing the ground for the wood she knew Xena would bring back. "Well,
you wanted her to take you with her, Gabrielle." The motion was warming
her a little, and the shivering subsided. "Careful what you ask for next
time."

A
soft crunching sound made her turn, to see Xena returning with a large stack of
wood balanced on one shoulder. The warrior knelt and dropped the wood into the
circle she cleared, and straightened, pushing her dark and unruly hair back out
of her eyes with an impatient hand. "Nothing here for me to hunt."

Gabrielle
tried not to think about how hungry she was. "I sorta figured." She
whispered. "I've got some nuts, and dried stuff in my bag.. we can share."

What
to answer to that? Gabrielle plucked at her cloak, taken from the back of a
raider Xena had killed in the lowlands. "I never really thought

about.."
She fell silent, then shrugged.

Xena
lowered her eyes, then got to work arranging the wood into a compact, efficient
campfire. Habits of a lifetime shaped her movements, and she

warmed
her hands briefly inside her leathers before she took out her flint and striker
to start the fire going.

The
sound of its sharp sting echoed through the darkness. Finally, the faint sparks
caught the dead moss she'd lain on the ground at her knee, and she cupped it
carefully before she set it under the kindling and blew gently on it to coax it
into life.

There
was nothing for Gabrielle to do, really, except sit on the edge of the twisted
tree and watch. She saw the glow start, breaking through the darkness and
outlining Xena's profile in crimson, it's planes set in a stern and somber
cast. After a bit, the glow grew, and she heard the first crackle as the fire
consumed the dried wood eagerly. Well, she exhaled. At least they'd be warm.
Sort of. She eased forward, kneeling next to the fire and holding her hands out
towards it.

Xena
sat back and studied her handiwork, satisfied for the moment. She watched
Gabrielle come closer, holding her hands out as her cloak dropped open a
little. The light shirt, and long skirt she'd brought with her from Potadeia
were scant defense against the cold, and Xena could see the shivers making
their way through her young companion's body.

The
warrior sighed inwardly. She'd probably get sick. A cold gust hit her in the
back and she stiffened. They both probably would and out in this godsforsaken
wilderness, she had no access to herbs or anything else. Damn. Xena lowered
herself to the ground, and sat cross-legged next to the fire, letting her head
rest on one fist. Whose stupid idea was it to try and skirt the mountains with
their warring tribes this way? Oh yeah, that's right, Mine. Your brains have
frozen, Xena. Look what you've gotten yourself into. Her eyes lifted as she
sensed movement, and she saw Gabrielle pulling their bags closer, her face a
study in grubby misery. And her. Bet she wishes she were at home in that nice
warm house in Potadeia right now.

Gabrielle
paused in her rummaging, and cocked her head thoughtfully. "Xena?"

"Mm?"
The warrior grunted.

"Did
you ever notice how much clearer everything sounds when it's cold like this?"
Gabrielle said. "You can hear the branches crackling over there, and listen
- " She took her own advice. "That's an owl, isn't it?"

"That's
an owl." Xena replied, watching her breath form a light fog.

"And
the stars are so clear." Now the girl's head was tipped back, and she gazed
up through the branches. "Everything seems so much more real." She gazed
upward a moment, then looked back down and carefully, seriously divided the
handful of supplies she found into two piles, her hands still shaking from the
cold. "It's beautiful."

Xena
shook her head in bemusement. "Do you always see good in everything, Gabrielle?"

"Well."
Gabrielle tucked her hands against her body for a moment, and clenched her jaw
to stop her teeth from chattering. "I could think about how cold it is,
and how tired and hungry I am, and how miserable I feel, but.. what's the
point, Xena? I can't change any of that." She picked up one handful of
nuts, dried berries, and a half stick of dried meat and handed it over to Xena.
"Here you go."

The
warrior extended a hand, but instead of taking the offering, she pushed Gabrielle's
fingers closed over it and nudged her hand back towards her body. "Take
it. I'm not hungry." She spoke in a no nonsense voice.

Gabrielle
blinked at her uncertainly. "That can't be true, Xena." She said.

For
a moment, Gabrielle considered refusing, but one look at the stormy expression
on Xena's face made her subside quietly, and she edged closer to the fire
instead, it's warmth finally beginning to penetrate her half frozen exterior.
She bit a piece of the dried meat and slowly chewed it.

Xena
waited, to see if there would be any further protest, then she fumbled two
metal cups with wooden handles out of her gear and leaned over, scooping up
snow in both of them before setting them almost inside the fire itself to heat.
She had just enough herbs for some tea, and after that they'd have to drink hot
water, but at least it was something. The flames licked up around the cups, and
she watched them, losing herself in their dance for a few brief moments.

"I
just don't." Xena answered softly. "I haven't for a very long
time."

That
caused a peaceful silence for a few moments. Xena returned to her bleak contemplation
of the fire. It would be six more days until they reached the other side of the
mountains. She thought she remembered two small villages between here and the
flatlands.

She
hoped they were still there.

"My
favorite one was when I was still a kid." Gabrielle's voice broke into her
thoughts again.

"Well,
sure I. " Gabrielle stopped, and peered at her. "Did you just make a joke?"

Xena
merely stared back, her chin propped on one fist.

"Anyway."
Gabrielle went on, as she always did. "I remember I got a stuffed doll to
play with. " She seemed to gaze inwardly for a moment. "It was like a
friend I could always have with me." After a moment, she shook her head and
looked over at Xena with a touch of embarrassment. "Kind of silly, I guess,
huh?"

Was
it? Xena regarded her pensively. "I don't know." She answered slowly.
"Having a friend who will always be there for you is a good thing."
She paused, and stared off into the darkness of her memories. "It's a very
rare thing."

Gabrielle
nibbled on a dried berry. "Well." She finally replied softly.
"I'm your friend, Xena." Her voice faltered a touch, as sharp blue
eyes lifted and met hers. "And.. I'll always be here for you." She
added in a whisper, caught in that stark and serious regard.

Xena
took in the sight of her little ragamuffin tag a long, in her much mended skirt
and grubby blouse, her still childish face scrunched into an expression of
serious sincerity. The unlikeliest friend she could ever possibly have imagined
wouldn't have even come close to this stalwartly stubborn, naively troublesome
child of sheepherders.

Xena
sighed ruefully. Must be the Fate's revenge on her. "Thanks." She poured
the herbs into the two cups and stirred them, handing one over to Gabrielle.
"Here."

The
girl warmed her hands around the cup and smiled. "That feels great, doesn't
it?"

"Yes
it does." Xena answered, to an entirely different question. She got up and
walked the three short paces to Gabrielle's side, then sat down again, much to
the young girl's imperfectly hidden delight. "Gimme that bag a minute."
She took the proffered sack and dug inside it, sorting it's contents by touch
alone. Her fingers fastened on a small cloth bag and she drew it out, untying
the top and dumping its contents into her hand. Four small squares sat outlined
against her skin. "Here." She took two of them and handed them to
Gabrielle. "Forgot I had these."

Gabrielle
accepted the offering curiously, examining one of the squares. "What are
they?" She asked, bringing it up to her nose and sniffing it. "Oh..
is that honey?"

"Yeah."
Xena replied, biting into one of her treats. "Honey and sesame." She let
the taste linger on her tongue, the taste of home that was the only thing she'd
brought away from Amphipolis with her.

"Mm."
Gabrielle's eyes lit up. "Wow.. these are great! Where did you get them? I
didn't see them in the last couple of towns we went through!"

Xena
shrugged. "I don't remember."

"Oh,
wow.. that's too bad. You should try to remember, Xena, so we can get more
someday if we go back to wherever it is - we could do that, right?"

Xena
gazed into the flames. "Probably not." She replied. "So just
enjoy them, all right?"

Gabrielle
was silent for a moment. "Okay."

They
finished the candy and drank the herbal tea in peaceful silence. Then Gabrielle
set her cup down and tugged her cloak closer around her as the

chill
seemed to deepen. "It's going to be a long night, huh?"

Xena
tossed another thick branch onto the fire, making it jump and quiver. Then she
set her back against the thick old tree, and eyed her young friend. "Come
over here and put your head down." She pointed at her own thigh. "One
of us should get some rest."

Gabrielle
turned and blinked at her, giving a perfect imitation of a rabbit caught in the
glare of a torch. Her eyes went to Xena's face, then dropped to the spot she
was indicating, then lifted again in painfully obvious wonder.

Xena
felt a tug on her heart she hadn't experienced in a very long time. "I won't
bite you." She promised, half humorously. "C'mon."

Gabrielle
exhaled slowly, then she edged over and curled up in a ball on her side,
pulling her cloak over her before she eased down and very carefully, in total
silence, put her head down on Xena's leg. "Thanks." She whispered. "I'm
really tired." Her eyes closed, and the tip of her tongue appeared, removing
the last taste of herbs and honey.

Xena
waited a few moments, before she arranged her cloak, tucking part of it over
Gabrielle's body, steadfastly refusing to acknowledge to herself exactly why
this cold, hungry night now seemed so magical.

But
it was.

"Good
solstice, Xena." Gabrielle's sleepy voice burred its way up to her ears.

A
smile crossed Xena's face, as she gazed out over the winter landscape. "Same
to you., Gabrielle."

The
stars overhead winked down with crystal sharpness over a bleak, cold land. The
icy wind rushed, it's fingers finding gaps and whistling through rattling
branches, seeking to steal the warmth from everything it touched.

But
try as it might, twist and turn as it howled, in one small clearing of one
small thicket, a new flame burned that it could not touch.